Arctic Terns raise their young at Glacier 2017 Fact Sheet Bay before flying to Antarctica i11 tile longest n1igration of any bird species ,, Superintendent Philip . ,Hooge Established Feb 26, 1925 Designated National Monument Dec 2, 1980 Designated National Park & Preserve 1986 Designated World Biosphere Reserve 1992 Designated World Heritage site Glacier Bay represents the most dramatic documented large-scale glacial retreat in the world and provides unparalleled opportunities for scientific study of tide~vater glaciers and ecosystem development. Size National Park 3,283,000 acres 5 130 square miles National Preserve: 57,000 acres 90 square miles 3,283,000 acres (roughly the size ofthe state ofConnecticut) Park Wilderness: 2,658,000 acres \Xlorld Heritage Site: 24,300,000 acres also includes Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Kluane lvational Park (Canada) and Tatshe11sl1i11i-Alsek Park (Canada). One ofthe world's largest protected wilden1ess areas. Base Budget g 4,969,434 Staffing Permanent 55 Term/Seasonal 73 Volunteers 59 (contributed 2,202 hours ofwork in '16) Access Most visitors arrive on cruise ships and tour boats. The only road is 10 miles from the tiny town of Gustavus, Gustavus has an airport and is served by AK Airlines in summer and small planes all year round. The Alaska Marine Highway provides scheduled ferry service from Juneau to Gustavus. Visitation The number of vessels per day is limited in the summer months. 1\llaximum number of vessels allowed each day include 2 cruise ships, 3 tour boats, 6 charter vessels, and 25 private vessels. 2016: 485,415 Cruise ship passengers Hun1pback whales spend the sun11ner in Glacier Bay 16,230 Tour boat passengers and swiln to Hawaii/or the winter -30,000 Land Visitors 1002 Backcountry campers Trails 3 hil<ing trails: 10 miles over 700 miles of shoreline to kayak, camp, and explore. Lodging Glacier Bay Lodge 48 rooms 7,670 guests in 2016 Bartlett Cove Campground 33 campsites also: there are a variety of lodges and inns in the nearby community of Gustavus, AK Prehistory Glacier Bay has been the homeland of the Huna T lingit people for countless generations. Climate Southeast Alas ka is within a cool, wet coastal temperate rainforest. Summer: 50° to 60°; Winter 20° to 30°, \Vith extremes of-10° F. Some form of precipitation occurs on average of 228 days per year. Annual precipitation is 70 to 80 inches including an annual sno\vfall of 14 feet High in the Fair"1eather Mountains, over 100 feet of snow may fall year-round ... making it one of the world's snowiest places. Marine waters Total Marine Waters: 607,099 acres (largest marine area managed by N PS) & coastlines Coastline (including the outside coast) 1180 statute miles Coastline of Glacier Bay proper, excluding all islands: 563 statute miles Coastline of Glacier Bay proper, including all islands: 760 statute miles Oceans & Tides Deepest Point in Glacier Bay: 1,410 fe et below sea level Tides are diurnal: they change every 6 hours (1 high/1 low every lfl hours) T idal fluctuation: ranges from -5 feet to 18 feet (an extrerne tide can change 15 feet in 0 hours) Glaciers 250 years ago a single, large tidewater glacier covered all of Glacier Bay. By 1750 the glacier began to retreat and has now retreated 60 miles to the head of the bay. Currently glaciers cover 2,055 square miles or 27% of the Park. At last count there \vere 1,045 glaciers in the Park. There are over 50 named glaciers, 7 of which are active tidewater glaciers that calve icebergs into the sea. Most park glaciers originate between elevations from 8,000 to 15,000 feet. The Grand Pacific, Brady and Carroll Glaciers have areas in excess of 200 square miles. In general, tidewater and terrestrial glaciers in the Park have been thinning and reced ing over the last several decades. Exceptions include the Johns H opkins and Margerie Glaciers. Grand Pacific Glacier 60' I 0-60' 2 miles 35 miles 1-4'/day receding Johns H opkins Glacier 250' 1200' 1 miles 12.5 miles 10-15'/day stable Margerie Glacier 250' / 100' 1 miles 21 miles 6-8'/day stable Lamplugh Glacier 180' / 10-40' .75 miles 16 miles 2-3'/day Stable/thinning Landmarks Mt. Fairweather 15,325' above sea level Mount Watson 12,516 & Elevations Mt Quincy Adams 13,615 La Perouse 10,728 Mount Root 12,860 Mount Bertha 10,204 Mount Crillon 12,726 Earthquakes 5 major earthquakes in the last 150 years (date/richter scale reading): 1853 I ?, 1874 I ?, 1899 I 8.6, 1900 I 7.9, 1936 I , 1958 / 7.9 Wildlife Fish 160 marine and estuarine species Birds 274 species Mammals 41 species Amphibians 3 species Reptiles none .. 201S Clillln C&mi>beD • Flora Vascular Plants -333 individual taxa documented Ha1·bor seals use icebergs as resting spots and safe locations to give birth to theb· pups. .